->''I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today's movies. They believe everything they're hearing and seeing. I like to shake that up.''-->'''-- Christopher Nolan'''

'''Christopher Jonathan James Nolan''' (b. 1970) is an English-American screenwriter and director, known for making several {{Mind Screw}}y neo-noir movies, and for reviving the [[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga Batman film franchise]]. As a good sign of his quality control, his ''worst'' rated film on Website/RottenTomatoes, ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', still has a 73% "Certified Fresh" approval rating.

His films tend to emphasize themes of obsession, deception, guilt, and {{order versus chaos}}. And all of his films are driven by a man lying to himself or others to cope with grief.

He has also produced:[[index]]* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' (2013)[[note]]He is also credited with writing the story[[/note]]* ''Film/{{Transcendence}}'' (2014)[[/index]]

----!!Tropes usually seen in his works:

* AnachronicOrder** {{Flashback}}** InMediasRes* AnInsert: A close-up shot of hands or seemingly non-threatening objects tend to appear in his films. Often at the very beginning, but not always.* AntiHero: Morally ambiguous, psychologically obsessed protagonists are his trademark.* AwfulTruth: Many of his protagonists must deal with this.** IgnoranceIsBliss: Nolan's films often deal with the theme of fooling either one's self or other people into believing something that's easier to digest than reality.* BlackComedy: His humor goes both ways: dry wit or this. More noticeable in ''Memento'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.* CentralTheme: Obsession, deception, and guilt are common themes shared by almost all his films.* ChekhovsGun: [[ChekhovsArmoury An armoury of them]].* ChekhovsGunman* CloseOnTitle: ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' and ''{{Inception}}'' have the title card appear at the end, instead of the beginning. FridgeBrilliance: He put the title card at the beginning of ''Film/{{Memento}}'', a film where the events are shown in backward chronological order.* DarkAndTroubledPast: ...that will haunt his protagonists like no other. [[Film/{{Inception}} Sometimes literally!]]* DoingItForTheArt: He refused to have ''Inception'' or ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' shot/converted to 3D because he didn't think it would look good enough. He also uses in-camera effects over CGI for the same reasons, [[VisualEffectsOfAwesome resulting in some of the most jaw-dropping action sequences on film.]]* FakeAmerican: ''{{Film/Insomnia}}'' and ''{{Film/Following}}'' are his only films not to have at least one example of this.* FemmeFatale: To go with his Neo-noir style mentioned below.** BitchInSheepsClothing: Many of the {{Femme Fatale}}s in his work will present themselves as much sweeter than they really are.* FilmNoir: Many of his films are of the Neo-noir variety.* {{Foreshadowing}}* GreyAndGrayMorality[=/=]BlackAndGrayMorality* HumansAreBastards* JitterCam: His Batman films and ''Film/{{Inception}}'' use this extensively.* TheLostLenore: The death of a love interest is a key plot point and strong character motivator in his films.* MeaningfulEcho** IronicEcho* MindScrew: Nolan's short film ''Doodlebug'' would be the most straightforward example. His resume outside of the Batman films to a lesser extent as well, which can be confusing to follow due to their chaotic narrative structures. Ditto ''Film/Interstellar'', which is told chronologically but can be confusing for those who don't have a great grasp of quantum theory and other space oddities.* MoralDilemma: Many and the 'right' choices are often debatable. Usually happens to the protagonists, but sometimes not even secondary characters or extras are spared.* MultiTakeCut: He sometimes [[DownplayedTrope downplays]] this trope, such as in the hospital explosion in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. As shown [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-iuuwOtsow here]], Nolan filmed the explosion from several angles, but decided to put only two in the finished movie.* OneWordTitle: Of his nine films, five have one-word titles.* OnceMoreWithClarity: Used in ''{{Film/Memento}}'', ''Film/ThePrestige'', ''{{Film/Inception}}'', and ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', to go along with ''the audiences'' learning the AwfulTruth.* PlayingAgainstType: If you only see the casting list of his movies without knowing the characters the actors play, it'll be difficult to guess who are playing the good guys and who are playing the villains.* [[PlotTwist Plot Twists]]: All the freaking time! Even though it's quite difficult to pull off in this time and age.** [[TwistEnding Twist Endings]]* PragmaticAdaptation** ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' takes many liberties with the Batman universe, but they are considered to be among the greatest Batman adaptations ever.** ''Film/ThePrestige'' changed everything from the plot to characterization, but all without detracting from the original work. And is widely considered better than the usual book-to-film adaptations.* ProductionPosse: Often works with the same actors in different films, even beyond the Batman franchise.** MichaelCaine especially for appearing in every one of Nolans films since Begins. Other actors in this posse are Creator/ChristianBale, Creator/CillianMurphy, Creator/KenWatanabe, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt, Creator/TomHardy, Creator/MarionCotillard and Creator/AnneHathaway. Goes double for Creator/TomHardy, who played the villain in Star Trek Nemesis. It was supposed to be his breakout role into stardom. Instead, it murdered his acting career right until this little movie called ''Inception'' came out... and now he played Bane in the third installment of the ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''. If Caine's career was saved, Hardy's career was resurrected and injected with steroids.** On the other side of the camera, he collaborates with his brother Jonathan on writing (see below), his wife Emma Thomas produces, Lee Smith edits (since ''Batman Begins''), Music/HansZimmer often scores his later films -- David Julyan scored his earlier work, from ''Following'' to ''The Prestige'' -- and Wally Pfister has done the cinematography for all but two of his films: ''Film/{{Following}}'' (and it was during a festival showing he met Pfister, they have worked together since) and ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' (due to Pfister working on ''Film/{{Transcendence}}'').* {{Reconstruction}}: ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' in particular, which takes the pretty fantastical concept of a masked vigilante superhero dressed as a bat and grounds it in a somewhat realistic worldscape.* RuleOfSymbolism: Especially in ''Film/{{Insomnia}}'', ''Film/BatmanBegins'', ''Film/ThePrestige'', ''Film/{{Inception}}'', and ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.* RuleOfThree: His movies are often built around well-defined groups of three. There's the three-act structure of [[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga his Batman trilogy]], the three-part magic tricks in ''Film/ThePrestige'' (the Pledge, the Turn, and [[TitleDrop the Prestige]]), the three layers of Fischer's dream in ''Film/{{Inception}}'' (the City, the Hotel and the Mountain), and the three planets in ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' (Miller's planet, Mann's planet, and Edmunds' planet).* SceneryPorn: All of his films, especially ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' and ''Inception''. There's a reason why Inception won an Oscar for Best Cinematography.* SharpDressedMan: Most of his protagonists qualify.* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: A common theme of debate in most his movies with characters representing either side, especially predominate in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''. Though the films themselves are on the very end of the cynical side.* TwistEnding: All films written by him and/or his brother have this.----!!Tropes that apply to him:

* AuteurLicense: Hollywood is under the impression that any film in which he has the slightest involvement will turn to box-office gold. Considering his solid three-film streak, it's not exactly far-fetched.* BatmanGambit: How he got ''{{Film/Inception}}'' made. Lampshaded by the fact that he used the Batman IP to do it.* BenevolentBoss: Many actors who have worked with him have also noted that he is very easy to work with.* CreatorCouple: He is married to Emma Thomas, who has produced all of his films since ''Film/{{Following}}''.* GentlemanSnarker: At times:--> '''Interviewer:''' What is the hardest part of filmmaking for you?--> '''Nolan:''' This.* LimitedWardrobe: Nolan's signature dark suit, no tie, and dress shirt with a few buttons open. Sometimes he includes a vest or tie.* PersonAsVerb: After his approach on the Batman film series, "Nolanize" has been used as a term used by fans, meaning rebooting a science-fiction/fantasy series to strip away all unrealistic elements from it.* ReclusiveArtist: Doesn't have a cell phone or e-mail address, and [[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/12/08/christopher-nolan-hollywood-takes-too-many-shortcuts/ hid out in a trailer park]] writing his next project and [[BadassBeard growing a hermit beard.]]* RedIndexGreenIndex: ''Averted'', since he's red and green colorblind. There's also a distinct lack of either color in most of his works. ** BlueTropes: However, his works sometimes have copious levels of blue in them.* SharpDressedMan: A suit, with or without tie and jacket, has been noted as Nolan's uniform of sorts.* SiblingTeam: His brother Jonathan is sometimes his screenwriting partner. * SpotOfTea: Earl Grey.-->'''Morgan Freeman:''' He takes a sip of tea every 10 or 15 minutes. Heís like quiet authority.-->'''Michael Caine:''' And I actually found out what the tea was, itís Earl Grey tea. Thatís what he drinks, all day long.----